When All Else Fails, Go Back To Basics.

A day trip to the airport.

The only time we frequent an airport is when we see off family or pick them up. Airports are a big adventure and I for one am very happy to meander around the portal to other places secure in the knowledge that I am going home to my own bed that night. Just being around the travelling vibe is a reminder that there is a big world out there ready to be explored or not.

We have to be at the airport at half five and that got me to thinking that Bob and I could have a bite to eat while waiting as he still has to drive home and only eating at eight is too late. Early this morning we got the better of a reluctant internet and started an online search for a vegan restaurant / snack-bar at Vienna International. Not much to be had. Sadly, or at least the internet is still a bit coy about announcing vegan options.

Even the golden arches seem to have stopped progress at the veggie burger. Rather silly not to have a vegan burger which anyone can eat as opposed to a veggie one that is garnished with cheese ( ? ) and mayonnaise. Please, get with it.

After some time the penny dropped. Why not make some sandwiches and eat them in the car park as we get there and why did it take me so long to figure that one out? Sandwiches that we like, that will give us nourishment and that don't cost the world. As we speak I have prepared a batch of sandwiches and am rather looking forward to our picnic at the Vienna airport...and yes, even I can tell that we have passed the first blush of youth!

Biggi

The Hoover And Our Cat.

Never a dull day.

She has programmed the sound into her subconscious. Just the sound of me picking up the hoover. Pulling out the cord is understandable but by then she has already sprinted to the back bathroom in order to hide from the big bad hoover. Too comical.

The dash and sprint she puts on each and ever time belies the fact that often she snoops around where the dormant hoover is resting between usage. Not a problem for her then. Gosh, she sleeps mere inches from it. Dilly cat indeed.

Once I have hoovered where I needed to and have put it away ( in a corner of our bedroom ) it takes at least ten minutes until madam comes forth and joins the family again. Usually afterwards she is as clingy as can be, never leaving my side. A trip to my loo...she makes it coincide with a trip to hers which ensures that I don't hover long.

The only place she dares not follow either Bob or I is into the shower. Like any animal she has a healthy respect of water. Wouldn't it be nice if she were to pop into the shower at the same time, complete with a tiny shower cap, feline moisturizing soap and sort out her toilette...how cute would she be all neat, shiny and clean as a whistle...

Biggi

A Postal Story.

Following the yellow van.

Books are on the card or rather on route. Divine stories contained between covers are coming our way. Yeah, both of us are elated at the prospect of having the choice of delving into some else's life. Is there anything better than to live vicariously through the eyes of another?

With this modern technology Bob was notified that the books would arrive today which of course prompted him to waylay this information to his wife:

" Honey, the books are arriving today. Try and be there when the postman brings them. "

Missing him means a note in the postbox and a day's delay. I was out at a lesson until eleven and then had to go to fetch curtains from the seamstress which meant that I would miss Günther, the postman. Yikes, I had to make a plan and it was so daring that I felt like that policeman in the new series I have discovered. I drove about the village in search of the yellow van and it did not take me long to find him.

I parked opposite his car ( which was devoid of him ) and waited. A few minutes to no avail. There was nothing for it but to drive off to the seamstress at speed in order to be back when he would knock on our door. Ten minutes later I drove home and lo and behold he wasn't yet at our house but one a few in front of ours.

In true village style and I say that because I wasn't the only one to do it, I stopped behind him ( in the middle of the road too ) and waited until he had delivered the post in order to catch his eye. A shrug and hand signal from me got a similar reply from him. Nothing for us today. Oh dear, I felt quite bad for having cornered our postman like that, but on the other hand I felt rather pleased that he knew who I was and more importantly remembered that there wasn't a parcel for us today...EQ beats IQ every time.

Biggi

Sabotaging Ourselves And Our Lives.

Will we ever learn?

Family is coming to stay which among other things means having a tidy up and clear out. This morning I moved all of our old photos into a sealed container and had an epiphany.

Isn't it funny how one knows exactly when and where a photo was taken? A photo with us in it of course. For some reason I was privy to a chronological review of part of my life. A fleeting image in my first year living in South Africa, our dogs too and of course our house, an old romantic Victorian clinker. Oh those were the days.

Fast forward to a rather to be forgotten photo of my university days to various work place scenarios until I suddenly found the lot where Bob started to be the best part of the equation. Happiness indeed. Smiling and being thrilled at the prospect of where life was heading for us. A photo at a friends wedding and of course our own as well. All those fleeting images cascaded through my mind this morning whilst shuffling them to a new hibernation station.

One inescapable fact in all of them was that even though I thought at the time that I was old and over the hill, looking at these various special variants of my life I realized that I looked just fine and younger than my mind made me feel. All those wasted moments of hankering after lost youth are in fact conning us out of this precious life. Not that I advocate being the proverbial mutton dressed as lamb but more a feeling of being happy as we are whenever that may be.

Why can't we just enjoy each divine stage of our life instead of either wishing time away or feeling that we aren't enough as we are? The old peer pressure which has gone supersonic in the age of Smartphones really does fit in well with the musings of George Bernard Shaw

" Youth is wasted on the young. "

Biggi

A New Blender In Our Mix.

Domesticity, the new meditation?

If you had told me ten years ago that I would be thrilled beyond measure at the arrival of a new and of course super powerful blender, I wouldn't have believed you. Who blends apart from the toothless?

In our house we are blend crazy and nothing is safe from being chopped to pieces. Hamburgers or should I rather call them beanburgers are a staple but with our old dinky blender it took three or more attempts to get everything chopped. Well, this morning the postman brought our new blender and it should be three times more powerful than our old one. Any vegan worth his salt needs a blender because buying processed stuff defeats the object, even if it is vegan processed food.

We had to motor up to Oberwart for most of the day and as I knew that the weather would be punishing us for our stupidity I chopped two bananas and put them into the freezer before leaving. And lucky I did because it was as hot as I had imagined it.

On our return and once we stashed all our purchases ( Bob has a method to shelving stuff which yours truly tends to undermine with my haphazard flair for putting stuff away ) I took out the frozen banana chunks and frozen strawberries that we had bought, put them into the new blender and hit the on switch. Naturally nothing happened and Bob was summoned. How marvelous to let men shoulder any recalcitrant appliances. Before he could wish this machine to Jericho I fetched the manual and let him read it.

Within seconds he had the machine eating out of his hands and it wasn't long before he made us the most spiffy ice cream ever. It was smooth and delicious and more to the point, it was part of our five a day. The way we both devoured this batch of ice cream bodes rather well for our future fruit consumption.

Biggi

Waiting For The Weather To Break.

A storm is on the cards.

The last few days have been more than scorchers, in fact they have been tortures. Heat that swallows you up and leaves you tired, hot and bothered. Last night was one of those Durban nights...even opening all windows didn't bring in any cool evening air. Bob researched and found out that only at four in the morning would the air outside be cooler than inside. Yeah, a long and tedious night twisting and turning trying to find any spot of cooler air. Yes, it reminded us both of South African summers. Oh why did they follow us?

So there we were imbibing all the cool air one can get at four in the morning while getting ready for the day. Days are getting shorter again and only after five does it get light. Early mornings are absolutely fabulous because they are the only windows of opportunity to do tedious laboursome tasks before being punished by a hot and blatant sun.

Bob left for work at a half past four and that left me with a good forty minutes before I could go for my walk. Not for fear of nefarious people but for fear of wild boars, foxes and co. Yes, they also need to sort out their business before sunup...

Honestly, I couldn't believe how I chose to spend the time and even Mausi looked at me askew. There I was at half past four in the morning hanging out our various windows while giving them a good wash. It was wonderful to be able to work out domestically without breaking out in sweat, like my neighbour did a few hours later. Yes, she chose to make her already spotless windows even more so at nine in the morning. Remember, at nine the temperature had just breached 30 degrees. Madness I tell you.

At the moment there are rumblings of air clashes up above and a lot of us are waiting feverishly for the impending storm. The sky has clouded over in places and one can only hope for enough rain to put nature out of its misery. One interesting fact that I noticed this morning was that the area in our garden that we haven't mowed for a couple of months still looks lush and green whilst hosting colourful wildflowers as opposed to those we mowed often which are almost brown because of the grass being burnt by the hot sun.

Biggi

A Floral Thursday In Eisenberg.

A simple bunch of flowers can gladden any heart.

Our local war memorial is always lovingly tended and the flowers chosen are perfect as they make one stop, read and reflect.

The mauve mavens surrounded by their green sentries. Fresh and happy.

This bunch of yellow daisies are fabulous. Strong, stunning and sturdy.

Funny how these petals manage to stay so pristine and white in order to delight...if we stood out there in nature wearing a white outfit, it wouldn't take more than a day before splatters of dust, dirt and earth would be all over us.

A bit of bird's nest, bishop's lace, Queen Anne's lace or more sedately named wild carrot...regardless, they are a welcome sight mingling on the side of the local path.

Another round of daises to finish off this floral Thursday...

Biggi

Never A Dull Day.

Are men really that stubborn?

I was hoofing it home on the last stretch of my morning walk when I stumbled across one of my neighbours who had just put out his rubbish bin. When they hover after shouting a greeting I know that a chat is on the cards. Love those.

Yesterday whilst queuing at the doc's I had seen him sitting in the waiting room and as one does we exchanged a few words. Not too many as walls do have ears and these ears are always happy to find out why folks are nervously waiting at the doc's. It was no surprise that I asked him this morning how everything was and men are quite happy to oblige, going so far as to flash a leg and show the sore!

Granted, in summer this slightly older chap usually hops about in Bruce Fordyce shorts ( those flappers thought to be the height of running fashion in the early eighties that most women hoped were worn over undies ) but this morning he went so far as to mention that he actually shouldn't expose his leg and sore to sunlight and extreme heat. Well, have you ever.

" Why on earth aren't you wearing longs? Even the doctor told you to! "

" I hate being covered up in summer. "

Before I could help myself I mumbled something along the lines of Bob also having a slightly stubborn streak as he never listens to me either when I ask him to wear more than beach wear for work.

Anyway, he grinned like a naughty schoolboy and we waved our goodbyes. As luck would have it I stumbled across him again a few hours later, not surprisingly prancing about in shorts and t-shirt although the temperature had already surpassed the 30 degree mark.

Oh, you had better believe that I stopped to shoot the breeze...." Where are your longs? " to which he replied full of cheer and with a grin from ear to ear;

" I am like Bob, aren't I?

Biggi

Old Habits Are The Hardest To Break.

If you can't stand the heat...get out of the kitchen!

At about ten o'clock this morning it was already pleasantly hot with the temperature reading in my car giving back an unseemly 31 degrees. Ghastly stuff indeed but with the windows lowered appropriately, bearable. I was on my way to collect medicine for someone in the outlying villages and thus could at least drive with open windows long enough to cool down.

I knocked on the front door which by the way leads straight into her kitchen and was almost knocked over by the heat coming from it. Jeez Louise, what on earth? Why was it hotter than a sauna in there? Well, her son cleared up the mystery...she was cooking on her aga stove. Yes, a blazing hot oven more suited to winter and when I mumbled about why she didn't leave the door open to get some air circulating, she mentioned that the door had to be closed or else her dog would escape...

Anyway, I left eventually and went to see another villager the next village over. All pleasant and nice to catch up but funny too because when I ventured too close to her kitchen, the same thing happened. A wave of warmth mingling with the aromas of an impending lunch were again close to bowling me over.

The irony was that next to this lady's aga stove a new electric stove was standing ready to take over during summer, but the older generation would rather cook and frizzle with on their aga with wood supplied gratis from their bit of forest than needlessly hand over money to the electricity company...Who knows, that could be me one day...

Of course the wood is never as cheap as one thinks because don't forget the huge amount of physical work associated with making fire wood from trees. Me thinks that electricity might be cheaper after all.

Biggi

A Fresh Start To The Week.

New beginnings.

" No river can return to its source, yet all rivers must have a beginning. "
Proverb

" All discarded lovers should be given another chance, but with somebody else. "
Mae West

" From the end spring new beginnings. "
Pliny the Elder

" Life stands before me like an eternal spring with new and brilliant clothes. "
Karl Friedrich Gauss

" Seek ye first the good things of the mind, and the rest will either be supplied or its loss will not be felt. "
Sir Francis Bacon

" Be willing to be a beginner every single morning. "
Meister Eckhart

" A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. "
Lao Tzu

" Start be doing what's necessary; then do what's possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible. "
St. Francis of Assisi

" What the caterpillar calls the end the rest of the world calls a butterfly. "
Lao Tzu

Biggi

Wine And The Sign Of The Times.

Aging and wine.

It was the annual Bergfest yesterday evening and by the sheer number of people there, a success. Bob and I went with family and friends and had a good time, meeting new villagers and catching up with ' old ' ones. As one does at parties.

As it was a wine fest, organized by the young guns of Deutsch Schützen's wine scene, wine was the center piece although the wine bar was tucked away on the side. The good vintages had to be collected in person. No waiter to do it for us and one just hopes that no one kept track of the number of times we visited the wine bar.

My luck that I drew the designated driver stick but honestly, at 3 euros per achtl I was happy to do so. Now and then my penny pinching alter ego popped into my thoughts comparing the price of a liter of house wine ( 3 euros ) to the hefty price for this eighth of a liter. Quality I know.

Anyway, I took the first trip to buy wine for us at the wine station. One of the young guns was stationed there dispensing wine with alarming accuracy. You know an eighth of a liter isn't that much when one is chatting to friends at a party and often one hopes that the barman has a heavy hand.

He poured my wine first and I was alarmed to see that he poured straight down from above my glass, resulting in a rather skeleton pouring. Good for the liver but not for the soul. Oh well, I got back to our table and saw that our friend who is twenty years my junior had also a glass of wine in front of her. Hers of course was wonderfully full, overstepping the measure mark on the side of the glass by miles. Or rather half a centimeter.

It just goes to show that aged wine is priceless and coveted but alas, aged wine drinkers get reminded that age isn't an advantage for them...Nevertheless, it was a good Bergfest and we look forward to next year's.

Biggi

Voices From The Past.

Fascinating history.

" Gentlemen, when the enemy is committed to a mistake we must not interrupt him too soon. "
Horatio Nelson ( 1758-1805 )

" Do not trust the cheering, for those persons would shout as much if you and I were going to be hanged. "
Oliver Cromwell ( 1599- 1658 )

" The important thing is not what they think of me, but what I think of them. "
Queen Victoria ( 1819-1901 )

" I feel sure that no girl would go to the altar if she knew all. "
Queen Victoria ( 1819-1901 )

" A custom loathsome to the eye, hateful to the nose, harmful to the brain, dangerous to the lungs, and in the black, stinking fume thereof, nearest resembling the horrible Stygian smoke of the pit that is bottomless. "
Guy Fawkes ( 1570-1606 ) Counter-blast to Tobacco

" History is nothing more than a tableau of crimes and misfortune. "
Voltaire ( 1694-1778 )

" Old age is the most unexpected of all things to happen to a man. "
Leon Trotsky ( 1879-1940 )

" New opinions are always suspected, and usually opposed, without any reason but because they are not already common. "
John Locke ( 1632-1704 )

" I shall be an autocrat: that's my trade. And the good Lord will forgive me: that's his. "
Empress Catherine the Great ( 1729-1796 )

Biggi

A Town Gone Mad.

Early weekend blues perhaps?

Friday, what a choice of day to do the weekly shop but it worked out that way. At least I left early and was in town before nine, along with just about every other shopper it seems.

The modem saga is still ongoing and thus far we've had three different ones sent to us by our provider. As kind as they are on the phone, it is still a bit stressful organizing everything. Luckily Bob is an ace at coordinating these technical things. Anyway, I had to return two of the modems to A1's branch in Oberwart. Piece of cake I thought!

They are very avant garde and have a computer that spews out one's number in the queue..if one presses it! At just 15 min after opening I thought I would be ahead of the pack but my number was 16 and they were only serving number 8 when I got it. Yes, a long wait for a two minute business.

On to the rest of the shops. Now that we are vegans we do need to go to more shops for often just the one item. Be it a soja milk or a Danish vegan butter ( that tastes suspiciously like real butter!!!? ) or tomato juice. It does take more time but I love perusing the different offerings in supermarkets and am always thrilled to discover something new.

At the Billa Supermarket in Grosspetersdorf they had two fresh vegan burger patties which were labeled Impossible burgers. They were a bit small for the price they wanted so I didn't get them but I am still wondering whether they were the ones everyone is going mad over in America and England. Would be nice if Oberwart is next on the list.

It is amazing to see how many people shop so early on a Friday. Every supermarket I went to had to open more tills as people were queuing along the aisles, hindering traffic. At least it means that business is alive and well...

Biggi

The Mighty Humble Potato.

Oft forgotten vegetable.

Even I, who tries to be aware of not wasting food usually ends up with a handful of slightly green potatoes which I then have to discard. Isn't it funny how one can never get the right size packet of potatoes? Either too much or too little or too expensive.

Now and again I buy the five kilogram pocket but unless we eat potatoes morning noon and night, there will be wastage. But no more. The last few months I have started to boil a big pot of tats and once cold I let them hibernate in our fridge waiting to be eaten. Yes, there is nothing better than snacking on a cold potato either seasoned with plain salt or mayonnaise ( vegan of course ).

If you are anything like me, you will turn into a snack searcher mid afternoon. Not out of hunger but out of habit. One can't scoff cheese and biscuits all the time and actually, there is nothing more tasty than a boiled tat.

Yesterday while I was visiting an older lady, I noticed that she was peeling potatoes in order to use them up before they went off. Wasting food is a no-no for her generation and understandably so. Anyway, she was going to make Marillen Knödl and was boiling the tats first. As we were chatting I told her about the way I try to avoid food wastage but she wasn't quite convinced about eating cold potatoes. Well, I countered that she eats them cold as a salad, which is almost the same.

She might try it just for the fun of it and I will have to find out the next time I go for a visit if she liked my suggestion. Going shopping for potatoes is rather fun again as it is exciting to try different varietals to appease the palate...

Biggi

My Lucky Packet Surprise.

Never a dull day where cats are involved.

Two days ago I took an open bag of dry cat food ( 500 grams ) to feed Mr Cat outside and afterwards put it onto one of the wooden beams in our garage, about a meter above where his food bowl resides. All well and good and he was pleased at this special treat. Expensive as I had wanted Mausi to dine on it but Madam isn't very keen on it. Oh yes, spoilt princess.

Yesterday afternoon it was time to feed Mr. again and with Bob sitting on the front steps looking on, I filled his bowl with some wet food and then reached to give him a handful of the dry pebbles. Sort of as a cherry on top. Well, we have been having humid weather and when I put my hand inside the packet without really looking, the pebbles felt rather soft and chewy. Oh well at least he wouldn't have to chew too hard...

Before I could get my hand out of the bag, something jumped out of it and after being frozen to the spot for a second or two, I realized that a mouse had jumped out of the bag. The chewy food I had felt had actually been a mouse. A live mouse. Uuugh, I screamed at the top of my lungs, jumped a step back and threw the food bag onto the garage floor.

The tomcat looked dazed at this new turn of events and not at all bothered to go after it, Bob refused to heed my calls after he heard ' mouse jumped out ' and when the bag hit the floor a further three mice jumped out and dispersed into all directions.

I think I ran with my hands over my head, screaming at the top of my lungs about the mice affair while Bob couldn't even be bothered to do the princely thing and rescue me from them. In all fairness, these mice had scattered quickly and were properly just as traumatized as me, but at least my husband could have shown more concern...although, I tend to think that he too was a bit scared of approaching the scene of the mice scatter.

Of course now the question turned to when and where these mice had settled into the feed bag. Maybe while it was standing on a shelf in our larder? With great trepidation I hot footed it into our house and ran to check all the half open feed bags ( our princess likes variety ). Thankfully, they were just that. Dry food sans live entertainment...

Biggi

The Eyes & The Nosy Have It.

Delightful village living.

Age makes no difference. Irritation can set in at any stage be it in ones 20's, 30' or 90's. A village busybody surely can spark it at the mere drop of a hat or more accurately, drop in for a chat.

My favourite septuagenarian and I were returning from an outing to our local doc's and shop when upon driving down his driveway we saw a local lady talking to his wife and their carer. I have had occasions of conversations with her and once you know that her main source of pleasure is local knowledge, it is easy to have long chats without revealing much. Playing dumb and pleading ignorance of delicate bits of information is rather easy. Working in a hair salon makes for lots of practice.

But, I thought it was just me who thought her a bit forward in asking questions that are on the outside of those conversation boundries set by society. Was I wrong. As docile and pleasant as my septuagenarian normally is, as outraged he was by spotting her in his driveway engaged in conversation. He mumbled something about ' stupid tattletale, what is she doing here again...Too funny for words.

Busybodies are rather quick at summing up an a situation because by the time we were inside the kitchen, she had disappeared or rather moved on to her next port of call where she might either garner more or dispense some of her existing repertoire...

Of course in

Biggi

In The Middle Of Eisenberg.

Butterflies and apricots.

While I was waiting for mum I had time to record some of nature's creatures. This blackbird wasn't scared of me at all and kept on hopping about in front of me while chirping at the same time.

This lilac bush held all the attraction for a handful of butterflies who took it in turns to hop from one blossom to the next and often landing on the same spot. Only for a split second though.

A lot of vines are clad in black mesh in an effort to ward off any extreme weather behaviour.

A most stunning looking apricot ( or could it be peaches? ) tree has so far withstood passer's byes. A lot of jam in the making.

Some shrubs almost appear to have been polished. All shiny and neat makes them a visual treat.

Some more apricots to start off the week...

Biggi

A Sunday Morning In Eisenberg.

With a dash of Deutsch Schützen thrown in.

My favourite tree as seen from above with Deutsch Schützen posing romantically in the background. Isn't the mosaic of the fields a visual treat?

More than a dash of Schützen after all. While we were at my parent's house, we saw one of the local storks practice yoga on the neighbour's roof.

Its sibling was flying confidently overhead and causing quite a stir with the newly emerged church congregation....A few babies coming soon?

Outside one of the Eisenberg Kellerstocks a bevy of beauties shine brightly with their luminous red petals.

Our area is well liked and loved by stork families and each year they bring their youngens onto our roof tops in order to prepare them for what life has to offer them.

A well tended vineyard atop of Eisenberg gets framed by a typical summer sky.

Biggi

And Then The Rain Came.

A much needed refreshment.

Yesterday and part of today a whole lot of rain came our way. About time too as everything looked dull, dry and sandy. Watering plants wasn't really helping much as one can see by the way they brighten up once real rain comes their way. Much better than the sporadic offerings from us.

Bob and I are doubly pleased when it rains as our outside barrels under the gutters fill up to the brim. That will give us about half a week's worth of water for our outside residents. When the barrels are empty we resort to pumping water out of our well. Just a bit of a schlep connecting all the pipes and wires.

This morning's rain tried to be persistent but I noticed a break at about seven and decided to go for a walk. What are raincoats invented for if not to use them in rainy conditions? Walking in the rain is actually a pleasure. Yes, one gets wet but we are not made of sugar. As I left the driveway I noticed one other walker and her sidekick.

Not her husband nor her dog but her donkey. Yes, weekends are her days to walk this delightful donkey ( whom she hand reared and bottle fed ) around the neighbourhood and the three of us meandered together for a few hundred meters. Nothing like walking with a donkey. This is what dots the i in country living. Somehow I must try and time my weekend walks so that I can get a chance to stroke the donkey and shoot the breeze. With its owner of course!

As I look out the window a new troupe of rain clouds are trying to decide where to settle in for the night. Let's hope that we are the lucky ones because even though most of the crops around us seem to have sprouted another inch over night, the season is far from over and they will have to spar with a few more heat waves...

Biggi

For The Love Of Reading.

Different methods of devouring books.

Just now I was contemplating life while looking at our overfilled bookshelves and sent a silent thank you to the powers that be for infusing me with a never ending love of reading and the ability to read.

Books are our treasures and pleasures. Whereas others fall prey to boutiques and clothing emporiums, Bob and I are wholeheartedly enslaved with anything to do with books and thus spend any spare dosh on new fodder for our minds. Prayers do work because back when I was single I wished for a boyfriend who loved reading as much as me!

So there I was regarding our books when I noticed one I hadn't read. We are also fortunate enough to have friends who bring us second hand books and it seems that Bob was to quick to file it away. Yes, he likes his order and woe be me if I put a book back in the wrong place. Trouble is that I forget where I took it from and have decided to leave them lying about, knowing that Bob can't resist. Works every time.

Do you also have a method to reading or am I the only one? First I read everything of an author and if that comes to a close then I continue with the same genre. Somehow I am stuck on murder and mayhem with the odd romance to clear the fear. At times such as now I mentally transplant myself to countries such as Sweden ( Camilla Läckberg ) or Norway (Jo Nesbo) and live vicariously through the author's stroke of a pen. The gist of reading, isn't it?

The queen of murder started me off on my love of this genre when I was a teenager. Even now I think back with such nostalgia and pleasure at having read my way through all of Agatha Christie's books. More than once too and it won't be long before I revisit St. Mary's Meade for a soothing slice of English country life...

Biggi

Wilderness Outside.

A gardening experiment.

As you know we live in an area of over keen garden keepers. In fact, the lawns look like peas in a pod and like clockwork they get mowed one after the other as soon as the first lawn is under the knife. A case of the stepford lawns...

Lately there have been numerous articles and programs about the death of insects and how our love of neat gardens, commons and fields has been partly responsible. It isn't just about the lack of bees but most other insects too.

Well, I thought I would kill two birds with one stone and make a stand for insects while at the same time having to mow less often. But, my idea had to first get passed Bob and his love of a tidy lawn. How could I sell my vision to Bob?

A few days ago I had a brainwave. Mowing the main part of our lawn but leaving the sides uncut and thus luring insects back to basics. As I am not that handy with the brush-cutter these sides were already on the longish side and when I set my plan into motion even I couldn't believe how nice it looked.

When Bob came home later that day, I had all types of arguments at my fingertips but before I used them, he told me that it looked great. So, we are trying this experiment of our garden and so far Miss Mausi has enjoyed it beyond measure. For her it is akin to traversing a jungle and she pulls us there each and every evening on her walk.

The nicest bit is of course the loud chirping, buzzing and hovering of insects in this restaurant we have created for them. As they say, every bit counts and for me that is a great feeling...

So far so good. Let's see how this developes!

A happening hangout...

Biggi

Chayote And More.

Front row seats to nature's magic.

A friend gave us a chayote plant in April and Bob was over the moon. I, on the other hand didn't have a clue as to what this vegetable looked nor tasted like. Bob waited a few weeks and then strategically planted it. I say strategically because he hammered five huge wooden stakes ( over two meters tall ) into our kitchen garden and then spun wire to link them.

It is amazing to see this plant grow. Every day these tendrils grow upwards and search for leverage. Thus the wire. How does this plant create and grow with such precision? Look at these perfect cylindrical circles.

Next to the towering chayote this red pepper plant seems minute but pretty nonetheless. We potted this one about two weeks ago and look how it has borne fruit already. Nature is awesome.

My favourite tree in full summer plumage. This photo is taken about a hundred meters away, so you can imagine the sheer size of this original. Until two weeks ago there was an army tent pegged in front of it but thankfully they have moved on.

The chapel has received a new coat of paint. A rich Burgenland yellow which I must say is soothing to behold...

Nothing says summer more than seeing straw balls scattered over the fields. The wheat fields serve a duel purpose what with supplying our daily bread and giving nice bedding to our farm animal friends.

Biggi

Some More Quotes.

They do give a good feeling...

" Change your thoughts and you change your world. "
Norman Vincent Peale

" If you cannot do great things, do small things in a great way. "
Napoleon Hill

" God gave us the gift of life; it is up to us to give ourselves the gift of living well. "
Voltaire

" It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see. "
Henry David Thoreau

" Everything has beauty, but not everybody sees it. "
Confucious

" A smile is the light in your window that tells others that there is a caring,
sharing person inside. "
Denis Waitley

" Laugh and the whole world laughs with you, snore and you sleep alone. "
Anthony Burgess

" A person without a sense of humor is like a wagon without springs;
it's jolted by every pebble on the road. "
Henry Ward Beecher

" She said she is approaching forty, but I couldn't help wondering from what direction. "
Bob Hope

It takes only one drink to get me drunk.
The trouble is, I can't remember if it is the thirteenth or fourteenth.
George Burns

Biggi

More Than A Million Words.

Back to basics.

Three weeks and counting in my digital minimalism experiment. By now the term experiment is superfluous as it has become a way of life. Chance be a fine thing and that is usually how ideas and life choices come into my peripheral. Yet, somehow I don't think of it as chance so much as more of a ' meant to be '.

Last month while doing the rounds on Youtube I happened across an interview with Cal Newport about our addiction to social media and what a waste of our precious time it was. The seed was sown and the next day I started on my digital detox. Facebook and all its enticing games were put on hold and under dust covers and so far, I am glad they are.

Reading has always been my lifeline but lately it has alarmed me to realize that I didn't have the mental stamina to finish books. Various subjects and genres didn't grab my attention the way they used to in the past. Could it have been my addiction to social media and gaming such as the expert had mentioned? Surely not!

Turns out it was. After a few days of not being online all the time I started to pick up the first novel and haven't stopped since. At least ten books have been read cover to cover, or about a million words. Isn't that an awesome figure to wrap one's head around? A million combinations of words that resulted in wonderful stories. Even thinking about the fact that 26 letters can be used in so many ways and combinations is mind boggling to me but also I am glad that I am able to read and understand them.

Not being on social media is such a relief on the senses and emotions. Not seeing the silly boasts of most makes me realize how much time I have sacrificed in the portals and halls of social media and beyond because whatever we see and read stays with us for longer than it should.

Next week my month of detox comes to an end but somehow I have a feeling that being online will have lost its shine for the foreseeable time...

Biggi

Life Lessons.

Learning from others.

" We are addicted to our thoughts. We cannot change anything if we cannot change our thinking. "
Santosh Kalwar

" I always prefer to believe the best of everybody; it saves so much trouble. "
Rudyard Kipling

" The energy of the mind is the essence of life. "
Aristotle

" As long as the world is turning and spinning, we're gonna be dizzy and we're gonna make mistakes. "
Mel Brooks

" If you want to be a doormat you have to lay yourself down first. "
Oscar Wilde

" I don't measure a man's success by how high he climbs but how high he bounces when he hits bottom. "
General George S. Patton

" Treat people as an end, and never as a means to an end. "
Emmanuel Kant

" There is no wealth but life. "
John Ruskin

" A thousand words will not leave so deep an impression as one deed. "
Henrik Ibsen

Biggi

The Craziness Of Summer.

The lemmings of fashion.

It started off already whilst we were driving out of Eisenberg. One of its residents and for modesty's sake we won't mention names, was parading and working in his garden clad in what I can only describe as tight, short unflattering underpants. Bob saw it too and before he started laughing I told him in no uncertain terms that he wasn't to wear those ever in public, in fact ever anywhere. I think I should be safe there.

Later on in Oberwart it wasn't much better. Most of the young things are set on lemming themselves onto the newest fashion trend of wearing high waisted shorts so short they can only be described as underpants regardless of whether it suits them or not. Not a look suitable outside of a catwalk.

So, there we were waiting to turn right onto one the main roads in Oberwart, when a youngish girl of perhaps twenty, cycled past wearing an extremely short pair of ' undies '. Well, suffice to say that Bob was left speechless with eyes like stalks and before he even had a chance to turn right, I forced him to go the other way. Imagine driving behind that behind? Men are men after all and those situations could prove dangerous to traffic and in fact there were plenty of drivers turning their heads.

Writing this I realize that I sound a bit like Hyacinth Bucket forcing Bob to go the other way, but in my defence I have to say that the road we'd have been driving behind her on, was a 30 kph zone and it wouldn't have been good for Bob's health to follow that lass at snail's speed.

Biggi

" Never Gonna Give You Up... "

A pleasant drive through the vineyards.

You can be rest assured that when you see or rather hear a car drive past with Rich Astley's ditty on full volume aided by the background singer of one, that said background singer was Alive & Kicking and young during the 80's. Who else would have the gumption to belt out a former disco tune sans disguise in 2019?

Driving should be forbidden when it is so hot outside but what can one do. I was just on the way to one of the cellars when the opening bars of Rick Astley's " Never gonna give you up. " started. For a child of the 80's ( we grew up the old fashioned way and listened to the radio or watched Pop Shop on TV ) all it takes are the first two notes and the song is recognized along with that wonderful feeling of nostalgia.

Before I knew what I was doing, I wound ( pressed the buttons actually ) down both windows while at the same time cranking up the volume of our radio. Bliss. How amazing that I still knew the words to that song? Bob of course was more of a trendy chap back then and was growing into his alternative music phase but I bet that he could sing along verbatim too.

I suppose we all have our decade of ditties that we feel an affinity with. As long as you know that when now and again you pass a car that could double as a disco bus that it isn't some nutter but only a middle aged person reliving their youth one song at a time...

Biggi

A Banana Treat.

An interesting morning indeed.

Meandering my various routes all over the vineyards makes for funny encounters, sightings and observations. Take this morning when I walked in Eisenberg caught up in my own thoughts until I came up to the big curve. Ahead I had spotted Bob's work car and many people toiling along some rows of vines.

It was still a hundred meters ahead of me which meant that I couldn't distinguish everyone clearly. The car was easy. Big, white and parked at a dashing angle. A mere thirty minutes earlier I had kissed Bob goodbye at the door but for the life of me I couldn't recall what colour t-shirt he was wearing. Drat, it wouldn't do to wave and blow kisses at the wrong guy. Especially with Bob looking on. Cautiously I waved and the wave was answered. As I didn't walk past them, I only found out later when Bob got home from work that it had indeed been him I was waving to. Shoo, lucky escape.

On the way home I thought I would treat myself to two fresh bread rolls from Kainz's, which I did but as luck would have it, old Mrs Kainz was telling me about a cold room mishap and that a whole bunch of bananas had changed colour and that I could have them for free. Who am I to say no to a bargain?

If only they would understand that these bananas are still fine to eat and in fact are perfect to make ice cream with. Not all bananas can have that perfect Chiquita complexion expected by most and in fact, they shouldn't. Let a banana be a banana and ripen the way nature intended.

The last bit of my walk was rather pleasant with a big bunch of brownish bananas under my arm for company and the lure of crispy fresh bread rolls for breakfast. Of course the best bit will be a scrumptious homemade banana ice cream after supper.

Biggi

Postal Service With A Smile.

Hurrah for Burgenland and Eisenberg .

Technology, quelle surprise, has overtaken us with a bang. Our modem wasn't up to scratch and dare I say old fashioned. I only know because the kind young man on the helpline had a bit of a chuckle at our outdated hardware. Cheeky monkey. But I suppose anything older than two years is considered de trop. Our TV got stuck repeatedly which is what got me to phone the A1 helpline. A couple of minutes later a new modem, a Ferrari modem was winging its way to us in Eisenberg from the lofty technological fortress of Vienna.

" Madam, you need more speed and I that is what I'll send to you. "

who can say no to that and without waiting for Bob's input, I agreed.

Getting anything larger sent by post means waiting for the postman to ring...twice! We were just so excited at the prospect of having more oomph that I tried to plan my day around the postal delivery. I thought it might arrive today but as luck would have it, I was lending a hand to my folks in the wine cellar...eh, working not tasting!

As we were getting stuff out the car boot I noticed the yellow post van driving up the road. Bear in mind that it was a few kilometers away in the other Eisenberg but, my ponytail must be distinctive or it is the red of our car, because I heard the brake being applied and our postman coming towards me with a parcel in hand.

" I have got a parcel for you. Might as well give it to you here. Just sign please. "

How marvelous. What service. What a nice feeling. What a great reason to live in a small village. It used to be only in a bar, Cheers, where everyone knew your name, but now the postman knows everyone's names...

Biggi

An Early Morning Cookout.

All in a day's work.

We both woke up at three this morning and before you feel bad for us, consider that we do go to bed at eight as Bob starts work between five and six each morning. Granted, today we were a slight bit ahead of schedule but once awake, always so.

There is a routine we stumble through each morning and it basically ensure that we have a great cup of coffee to start the day with. Honestly, we even have a milk frother to create that cappuccino feel along with a dusting of cinnamon and cardamon. Whilst I was getting the first cup of coffee ready, Bob suddenly remembered that he needed to take his own dinner along to work.

His company is bottling all day today and often it is easier to have dinner there. His boss does provide food for everyone alas, not the vegan kind. So I usually make an extra portion of something the night before and put it in a Tupperware for Bob to take along. Well, not today! Both of us had forgotten and for a change last night's supper had tasted rather moreish so that Bob didn't leave any leftovers. Oops. What to do?

Well, at ten past three this morning I was chopping onions, garlic, tomatoes and tofu in order to make a meal for Bob. I still had some cold noodles in the fridge to add to it, but honestly, there is nothing like chopping onions and co so very early in the morning before even having a sip of coffee.

I was racing against the clock because I needed the food to still cool down enough to put into the plastic dish. Let's just say that this morning I had a huge pile of dishes to wash ( I shifted the food from plate to plate ) but thankfully Bob could take some interesting vegan supper along. I say interesting because whatever I have sent along in the past for Bob to eat, has been inspected carefully by the lady who heated it up for him. Rather a lot of pressure so hold thumbs that the wee taste she'll no doubt have, passes muster.

Biggi

Do One Thing A Day To Keep The Climate Change At Bay!

It used to be doctors and apples...

Perhaps it boils down to us frying like mad at the moment with the only respite coming predawn, late night and inside but regardless, we are feeling the worsening weather patterns first hand. So much for the naysayers who insist on the heat spells of late being a normal occurrence happening every now and again. Now and again has morphed into each consecutive year!

Well, as there are so many of us trying to cling to the coat tails of a disappearing Mother Earth and expecting her to do to our bidding whenever and whatever we want, it wouldn't be a bad idea to do at least one good earth deed per day. It is laughable how easy these deeds can be and yet, we need to first look over the edge of abyss in order to get up and get going.

Look, most of us know exactly what we should do each day but often couldn't be bothered. Much easier to put the onus on our politicians knowing full and well that it will take forever and a day before environmental policy gets set in stone. Are we pretending to emulate ostriches because it suits us to stay with our own status quo?

Trying to outwit the plastics industry is difficult as just about everything one buys is imprisoned in numerous layers of plastic even the supposedly fresh organic produce. It seems as if the plastic industry makes a bigger profit than the products they cover. Going totally plastic free is almost impossible because all supermarkets and shops insist on it but at least we can look for the packaging free option.

Eating meat has its own climate woes. Huge amounts of water are wasted, groundwater infected with chemicals and fecal matter and plenty of deforestation in order to plant more crops to feed the cattle. Eat less or no meat.

Walking or taking the bicycle, bus or train helps already. Wearing your clothes for more than the season they are fashionable and buying quality over quantity thus making them last. Holidays taken at home and not with the aide of an airplane ride. Oh, there are so many ways to make a difference and when we whittle it down to one deed per day it is doable and hopefully might entice us to do a few more...

Biggi